Paul Fargis

Paul McKenna Fargis (born 1939) is an American publisher, editor and author. In 1978, he founded The Stonesong Press, Inc., a company that developed book projects from the initial concept through final manuscript, printer-ready materials or printed and bound books delivered to a participating publisher. Stonesong was the first company to cooperatively develop major popular reference books with well-known institutions and brand names, including Harvard University Medical School, The Library of Congress, The American Pharmaceutical Association, Lands End, ESPN, The American Film Institute, National Geographic and others. Several of the Stonesong reference titles won Notable Book Awards and Best Reference recognition from the American Library Association and others. Mr. Fargis edited and produced more than a dozen reference works with The New York Public Library, the best known being four editions of The New York Public Library Desk Reference.

In addition, Fargis formed Round Stone Press in 1990 with two partners, Susan Meyer and Marsha Melnick. This imprint specialized in the development and production of illustrated reference works. The company was later renamed Grand Central Press, absorbed by The Stonesong Press and is no longer active. That company produced works with Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, The National Wildlife Federation, National Geographic, and National Public Radio.

Fargis has worked in every area of trade book publishing including editorial, sales, publicity, royalty systems, contracts, and subsidiary rights. Prior to founding Stonesong, he was the Publisher and Editor in Chief of Thomas Y. Crowell Co. and Funk and Wagnalls, companies that became divisions of Harper and Row (now HarperCollins) where he then acted as Managing Director of the three imprints.

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